Easy One Pot Sausage Pasta
Coming up with meals can sometimes be overwhelming! See this Easy One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta for a great meal option!. For busy weeknights it's easy to grab fast food instead! When I look for recipes, I look for easy and healthy– something I can put on the dinner table. that is family friendly but also healthy! This one-pot sausage pasta is perfect recipe to add to your ideas for easy dinners! The pasta cooks with the sausage, tomatoes and basil and you end up with a creamy sauce and a delicious meal.
More Recipes | Gluten Free | Slow Cooker Meals | Kitchen Deals
Easy Dish That Uses What You Have on Hand!
The nice thing about this recipe is that it won't be messed up by a few variations. You can use any type of sausage. A few ideas are: smoked sausage links, sweet Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or even fresh mushrooms! If you don't have the sausage on hand, one hack I've used as a busy mom is to cook up some ground beef in a skillet- or the bottom of your large pot here- and just add a lot of Italian seasoning! Kielbasa or polish sausage would be just as delicious- and they are often great meat options when you're on a tight budget.
This is a great dish and there's really a lot of ways to make this recipe. You can make a spicy one-pot pasta recipe by using Andouille sausage if you prefer. I love spicy foods so I'm always looking for ways to add more heat to my meals!
Easy One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta- How to Make:
For this recipe you will combine all the ingredients in a large pot or large skillet with tall sides. Do not pre-cook your pasta– this is the best part! The recipe uses uncooked pasta so we are skipping this entire step. Add your sausage, grape tomatoes, garlic cloves, and fresh basil along with it. Add salt and pepper to taste (your preference) and then about 4 1/2 cups water. Do not add too much liquid, or the sauce will be too thin. If needed you can add additional liquid to the pasta water as it cooks down. I find that this amount is about right for how we prefer our pasta sauce.
The dish will cook down and then you will need to stir to incorporate the rest of the ingredients to your pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent any bits of pasta from burning on the bottom of the pan. It does not need to be covered. The cherry tomatoes eventually burst and become a delicious flavor addition to this easy dish. However, if you're not a big fan of fresh tomato, you can substitute this ingredient for 1 4 oz can of tomato puree or tomato paste.
Meat Free and Other Adjustments:
You probably aren't looking for meat-free recipes on this post, but if you want the option, some great substitutions are:
- Plant based Italian sausage links or ground sausage
- Bell Peppers
- Large Mushroom (Portabella have a great flavor with pasta)
- Eggplant
- Diced Tomatoes
- Fresh spinach
The parmesan cheese in this recipe does really thicken up the sauce, so it should be about the consistency of spaghetti sauce when ready to serve. If you need to, you can always add a little bit of chicken broth or water to thin it out. Or additional parmesan and cook longer on the stove to thicken it up more. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream to thin out the sauce and give it a creamy pasta sauce as another option. Definitely use whatever you have on hand!
Pasta Noodles to Use:
You can use traditional pasta noodles or you can use one of the newer variety low-carb pastas on the market. I typically prefer short pasta in this but as you can see, we've made it with spaghetti noodles too! The only thing that will change on this may be your cooking time- as you want your pasta al dente. If you aren't familiar with that term, it means “to the tooth”. It will not be crunchy or undercooked whatsoever, but it will still have some “chew” to it! You have to actually bite it as opposed to noodles that have very little firm texture, like soup noodles.
One pot pasta recipes have gained popularity in recent years. You can make the noodles along with the other ingredients– like this one– or you can just cook your pasta and then set it aside and then cook your sauce and protein. I actually haven't tried the viral TikTok recipe with the feta cheese and the cherry tomatoes. It looks pretty good!
Other Tips for This Recipe
Easy One Pot Sausage Pasta is one of my faves because only one pot is dirtied and I can throw it all together and let it cook! It's minimal clean-up so that's a win for this busy mom. And, who doesn't love a delicious recipe with pasta and meat? It's a family favorite that will work when you're not in the mood for spaghetti or macaroni again!
This works well in a Dutch oven or large deep skillet. You want a dish that will be tall enough to contain the sausage, other ingredients on the ingredients list, and of course those cups of water. If you haven't yet invested in a good Dutch Oven, we frequently see deals on these. Or, put it on your Christmas or birthday wish list! There are a lot of easy recipes that can be made in one pot, so it's a huge time saver for me!
Substitutions and More:
If you don't like a ton of pasta, I'd recommend using only 3/4 of a pound instead of a pound. If you have hungry kids or a teenage boy or girl at home, be sure to go on the more generous side for how much pasta you make. I can't forget to add that you can make this meal gluten free also. Be sure your sausage says GF on the packaging– especially when using processed types such as links. We went GF a while back when my kids were still at home, so I always opt for Gluten Free pasta when the whole family is here!
If you need to kick it up a bit, add some extra seasonings and cheeses! My favorites are:
- Cajun seasoning– great with Cajun Sausage
- Red pepper flakes
- Additional parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese for over the top
- Substitute chicken broth for 1-2 cups of the water in this recipe
Thanks for Reading!
I thought of this one-pot recipe a long time ago and it's a great-tasting easy pasta recipe that I still incorporate into my weeknight meals!
Easy One Pot Sausage Pasta
Tired of the routine with spaghetti and meat sauce? Change it up with this Easy One Pot Sausage Pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pasta, Spaghetti Preferred
- 1 package Sausage, thinly sliced
- 2 1/2 c. Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 2 c. Basil Leaves, fresh
- 4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 1/2 c. water, or less if using less pasta
- 1 c. Parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients but the Parmesan in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Bring to a boil then simmer for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is cooked and the water has reduced.
- Stir in the Parmesan.
- Enjoy!
Notes
The spaghetti is how I make it, but you can also substitute for any fun pasta variety your family prefers. Linguine or Fettuccine work great too!
See More Pasta Recipes Here:
Easy Ravioli with Cajun Chicken
Do you have an after photo so I can see what it’s supposed to look like?